The Perfectionist's Guide to "Good Enough" Organizing
If you're waiting for the perfect organizing system before you start, you'll never start.
Perfectionist creative types get stuck because they see the Pinterest-perfect studios and craft rooms and think that's the only right way to organize. Color-coded supplies in matching containers. Everything labeled with the same font. Tools arranged like a magazine spread.
Meanwhile, your actual creative space stays chaotic because "good enough" feels like giving up.
Why Perfect Kills Progress
Perfectionism in organizing usually means:
Waiting for the right supplies instead of using what you have
Planning elaborate systems instead of starting with simple ones
Abandoning projects when they don't look magazine-ready
Feeling like a failure because your space doesn't match Pinterest
The reality? Most "perfect" studios in photos aren't functional workspaces. They're styled for the camera.
Bay Area Story: The Pantry That Waited Forever
Karen in Corte Madera had been planning her "perfect pantry" for two years. She'd researched glass containers, matching labels, and organizational systems. She had a Pinterest board with 47 pins.
Meanwhile, her actual pantry was chaos. Expired spices mixed with good ones. Pasta boxes toppled every time she opened the cabinet. She bought duplicates because she couldn't find what she already had.
When we finally tackled it, we skipped the Instagram version. We used containers she already owned, grouped similar items together, and put frequently used things at eye level.
It wasn't Pinterest-perfect, but she could find her paprika without an archaeological dig.
Bay Area Story: The Office That Waited for Perfect Supplies
Sam, a freelance writer in Oakland, kept putting off organizing his office because he didn't have matching file cabinets. His desk was buried under papers, notebooks, and reference books.
We spent one hour using what he had. Old shoeboxes became filing containers. Mismatched jars held pens and pencils. A plastic bin corralled current projects.
"It's not beautiful," he said, "but I can actually work in here now."
The next day he texted: "I wrote for four hours straight. I forgot how much I like my office when it's functional."
The Good Enough Rules
Function over form — a system that works is better than a beautiful system you can't maintain
Start over stall — messy progress beats perfect paralysis
Use what you have — work with containers and supplies you already own
Maintain over wow — simple systems you'll actually use beat elaborate ones you'll abandon
Bay Area Story: The Craft Room Reality Check
Debbie in Marin had been researching the "perfect" craft room setup for months. Clear containers for every supply type. Rolling carts that could move between stations. A cutting table at the exact right height.
While she researched, her supplies lived in bags and boxes that made creating feel like too much work.
We organized with what she had: plastic containers from the kitchen, a bookshelf from another room, mason jars for small supplies. Not Instagram-worthy, but everything had a place she could remember.
Six months later, she'd finished more projects than in the previous two years. "Good enough was so much better than perfect paralysis," she said.
Your Good Enough Start
Pick one creative area that you've been avoiding because you can't do it "right."
Spend 30 minutes making it work with what you currently have.
Don't buy new containers, don't research systems, don't wait for better supplies.
Just make what you have work better than it does now.
The 80% Rule
Aim for systems that work 80% of the time. The other 20% is just life happening — materials that don't fit the category, projects that break your usual pattern, supplies that multiply faster than your containers can hold them.
That's normal. Perfect systems break when they meet real creative life. Good enough systems bend and keep working.
Your Perfectionism Recovery Plan
Notice when you're researching instead of doing.
Set a timer for organizing work — when it rings, you're done whether it's "perfect" or not.
Take photos of your "good enough" progress. Sometimes improvement is more dramatic than we realize in the moment.
Remember: your creative space exists to support your creative work, not to impress other people.
Try the Jane Way De-Stuff Kickstart checklist to get started on your recovery plan.
Ready to choose progress over perfection? Book Your Free Hope + Relief Call — let's build
systems that work in your real life, not just in theory.
